


all is found

by WaifsandStrays



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Canonical Character Death, Casual Sex, I'm Bad At Tagging, Multi, Past Jet/Zuko (Avatar), Polyamory, Post Mpreg, Unplanned Pregnancy, don't take my advice, sort of medically accurate
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-13
Updated: 2020-08-05
Packaged: 2021-03-04 18:13:47
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,538
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25250674
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WaifsandStrays/pseuds/WaifsandStrays
Summary: Sokka thought he was prepared for everything. Every tactic the Fire Nation could throw at them.He never expected this.Aka: the one where the gang adopts not only Zuko but his daughter as well.
Relationships: Aang/Katara (Avatar), Bato/Hakoda/Kya (Avatar), Sokka/Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 99
Kudos: 613





	1. in out of the storm

**Author's Note:**

> Welp, this happened. And I swore I'd never start another WIP...
> 
> But the great Zukka revival of 2020 happened and here we are!
> 
> World building notes can be found at the end!

Sokka liked to think he was prepared for anything, had planned for every eventuality and every trick their enemies could throw at them.

What he wasn't prepared for, apparently, was the prince of the Fire Nation showing up on their doorstep pale as death, reeking of blood and clutching a newborn in his arms.

For all her hatred and all her vicious feelings for Zuko, Katara had never been able to ignore someone in need. She had rushed forward, barely able to hold Zuko's slumping body up to keep him from unconsciously crushing the pup.

Sokka held him upright while Katara tried to persuade him to let go of the newborn but Zuko held firm, protective and defiant even in his delirium.

Sokka exchanged a look with his sister and swung them both up into his arms. Fuck, Zuko was so light. Toph probably weighed more. Sokka looked down into the fever flushed face that had chased them around the globe and wondered, for the first time, if Zuko hadn't just been chasing them but running away from something as well.

Katara stayed at his elbow, guiding Sokka to a room deeper in the temple. He could hear Aang and Toph following, curious about Zuko's state and about the pup. Sokka was curious too.

The smell of blood was overwhelming, covering the pup's scent and Zuko's. Not that Sokka needed a reminder.

_-thrown on the back of a monster, hands delicate and white as lilies clutching Sokka's tunic so he didn't slide off and the smell of citrus and sweet ginger, spicy and alluring filling the Alpha's head-_

His sister and Aang hadn't believed Sokka when he'd told them Zuko was an Omega but they'd come close enough multiple times since then for him to be proven right.

Aang had been confused as to how an Omega could be so angry and violent while Katara took it as more confirmation that Zuko was damaged beyond repair.

Especially after Ba Sing Se.

Sokka laid Zuko down as gently as he could, bracing the other boy's arms around the pup. Katara took a deep breath and slowly eased the newborn from Zuko's arms.

He fought at first, terror curdling the smell of blood even further, but, strangely, when he saw who was trying to take the pup… Zuko let Katara take it.

Sokka saw his own wonder mirrored on Katara's face. He glanced down and saw Zuko's gold eyes fixed on the blanket wrapped bundle like it was the key to everything.

"Here," Katara said softly, wrapping the blankets tighter around the pup before easing it into Sokka's arms. "Take her for me."

"Her?" Sokka didn't know why he asked. He looked down into her tiny face and his breath caught. The hair on her head, downy and curling, was all Fire Nation but her eyes… "Earth Kingdom."

Katara looked at him sharply then back at Zuko who was watching the whole thing with as much intensity as he could muster. The Omega just… Nodded. As if such a thing wasn't against everything they knew the Fire Nation to stand for.

Katara swallowed her shock faster than Sokka did. She glanced at the two Betas crowding the doorway and at Sokka and jerked her head to the side.

Sokka nodded and was startled when a small hand touched his waist. He looked down into Zuko's pale face and paused.

"Protect her," Zuko said softly, voice nearly lost under the sound of Katara washing her hands and arms. "Don't… Don't let them take her. Promise me."

"I promise," Sokka said, holding the pup just that bit tighter. It didn't matter that Zuko - was? had been? - his enemy. A request from an Omega could not be ignored by any Alpha. Especially when it concerned a pup.

Zuko had risked much to get her here and so Sokka would protect her with everything he had. For better or worse, the little one was pack now.

💮💮💮

It was nearly dawn when Katara finally slipped back out to join them. The smell of blood clung to her clothes as well as something sour, sharper smelling.

Aang and Toph had exhausted themselves cooing over the pup early into the night and were asleep like littermates, back to back and close to Sokka's right hand.

The pup was bundled into a nest of furs and blankets directly in Sokka's line of sight. He didn't think he'd blinked more than a few times the whole night, all his focus on their newest packmate.

"How is he?" Sokka asked lowly. Katara sat beside him and leaned into his shoulder, touching the edge of the pup's nest with careful fingers.

"Weak," Katara said, equally soft. She sounded and smelled exhausted. "He lost a lot of blood and his placenta was still attached, poisoning his blood."

Sokka looked at her sharply. "This is _Zuko's_ pup?"

It had been rare enough that Zuko had entrusted any pup to Sokka. Let alone his own.

Katara nodded, her eyes pitying. "She was born during the eclipse. As soon as he could stand, Zuko was on his way here." She laughed a little, sharp as glass. "Stupid fool. He could have died."

" _Should_ have died," Sokka said. No other Omega had ever done such a thing. No other Omega had _had_ to do such a thing. "Did he say if anyone knew to come after him?"

Katara laughed again, this time shakier. "Sokka, he birthed her alone. No one knows she exists but us."

_Tui and La_ , Zuko was a twice-blessed idiot. Births were complicated and agonizing at the best of times, surrounded by pack and loved ones. To have done it alone… Zuko was the strongest Omega Sokka had ever seen. And that was including Katara.

"Will he live?" Sokka asked, watching the pup's face intently. He felt like if he looked anywhere else he would do something foolish. Like run to Zuko's room with her and put himself between anything that might come for either of them.

Katara nodded, eyes drooping. "I made him something to help him sleep for a while but when the pup wakes she'll need to eat." His sister smothered a yawn. "When she does, wake me and I'll-"

"I can take her in just as easily as you," Sokka said gently. "Get some sleep."

He didn't even think Katara waited for him to finish before she was out, curled around Aang and Toph like a perfect circle.

Sokka didn't let himself give in to sentiment often but watching the three of them like that? It reminded Sokka that they really were his whole heart.

A soft snuffle drew Sokka's attention back to the pup. But maybe, he thought, offering her his finger, maybe he had room for a few more…

💮💮💮

Zuko woke in pain, not the sharp throb he'd pushed aside since the eclipse but a deeper pulsing ache. He sat up slowly, only able to bear bending halfway. He bit down a moan and closed his eyes.

Katara had given him something, some concoction of herbs to relax him and help him sleep. He'd drifted on a cloud of exhaustion and drugs as she'd palpated his abdomen and checked him between his legs.

He hadn't torn, she'd told him. But the afterbirth hadn't separated like it should so she would have to manually stimulate it to detach. Between her firm pushes and the pain of yet another thing slipping from his screaming body, Zuko was glad to pass out.

But now… Now he was awake and- His pup. Where was his pup? Zuko tried to throw his legs over the side of the cot and nearly fell to the floor. He could feel blood, warm and sticky, seeping from between his legs but he pushed it aside.

That was normal, he was fairly sure. All mothers - Omega or otherwise - bled after. Zuko grabbed at a sconce on the wall and tried to pull himself up. He managed to get up but moving was impossible.

It was as if boulders had settled in his joints, weighing him down and pinning him in place. Zuko swayed as a wave of dizziness overcame him and he would have fallen if not for the arms suddenly around him.

_Sokka_ , his tired mind supplied. The Alpha sibling, the one he'd entrusted his pup to. The one who had carried them both inside to safety. Zuko whimpered, relaxing into his hold.

Sokka's scent sharpened, surprise like a burst of citrus. Zuko couldn't blame him for being confused, _he_ was confused, but instincts were instincts and Zuko's trusted Sokka.

Sokka wrapped his arms more firmly around Zuko, helping him back down onto the cot. Sokka laid him back, covered him with a blanket and stroked his hair - only a little awkwardly - off of his forehead.

"My pup?" Zuko rasped, voice hoarse from hours of muffled screaming and lack of water. He wanted her in his arms, wanted to smell her and scent her and know her from the outside this time.

"Shh," Sokka said, still stroking Zuko's hair with jerky movements. "She'll be here soon. Katara was giving her a bath when Toph felt you getting up. Just relax, jer- Zuko."

Zuko blamed it on the drugs still lingering in his system when he said, "That's the first time you've ever used my name. I didn't think you knew it."

Sokka's fingers stilled. "I know your name." It sounded like something else. _I know you_. But of course he didn't. Just like Zuko didn't know him.

But he'd been sure he was dying and he'd made a choice to save his daughter. Even if they left Zuko to die, the Avatar and his friends would never abandon a helpless newborn. She'd be safe from his father and his sister and hopefully she would grow up without ever knowing the stain on her heritage.

Zuko… wasn't sure how to factor being alive into his plans for her.

The door creaked open and Katara slipped in, Zuko's pup bundled in her arms. The blankets surrounding her tiny face were blue and Zuko felt that the color suited her better than red ever would.

Katara, never one to hide her emotions, smiled a little. It was strained but it was real. She gently rearranged the pup so she could pass her to Zuko while perching herself on the side of the cot.

"She's hungry," she said softly. Her fingers traced the delicate lines of the pup's face, her perfect cheeks, her rosebud mouth. Those beautiful eyes, muddy green and wide open, stared up at them all.

Zuko leaned down and breathed his daughter in, sniffling quietly. She was perfect, beautiful and light as air, and his. She smelled like jasmine and rainwater under the milky newborn smell and it brought a lump to Zuko's throat.

Would her father have wanted her, if he'd met her? Wanted Zuko? No. It was better not to travel down that road, the endless spiral of what-if and why-not.

Zuko let Katara ease him upright and help him with his tunic. His chest was tight, swollen and aching, but Katara helped him with this too. She helped him position his pup at his nipple, helped him to hold her so she latched.

He smiled at her at the pup's first greedy suckle and, somehow, Katara smiled back. Sokka made a low rumbling sound in his throat, pleased maybe at the pup's tenacity.

The shuffle of footsteps at the door and the Avatar and the girl were peeking in. Aang shifted his feet, biting his lip. "Is he-?"

"Did Sparky die or what?" The girl - Toph - pushed past Aang and into the room. Her eyes, milk white and clouded, swept over them all but she never faltered as she walked. She sat next to Sokka and kicked her filthy feet up into his lap.

"No," Sokka said, sounding cross. He grimaced at her feet but didn't push them off. "He's still alive. He's feeding the pup."

Aang had slipped closer without Zuko noticing and perched at the foot of the cot. His eyes, wide and grey, were wondering and fixed on the pup. Zuko watched him watch her and a small smile crept across his face.

"She's beautiful," Aang finally said, breaking the soft hush that had fallen. Sokka hummed in agreement, his own eyes fixed on Zuko's daughter.

"What's her name?" Toph asked, scratching her cheek. She seemed content to just know they were all there and accounted for. "Something Fire Nation-y, ends in an I or an O?"

Zuko blinked, watching his pup let go and start to whine. He eased her onto his shoulder and patted her back. "I, uh. I didn't give her one. I didn't think I'd be _alive_ to give her one."

"Well, we can't keep calling her pup," Sokka said finally. He reached over, ran his fingers down her back. And Zuko… Zuko was amazed to find that he didn't want to snatch her away, to keep his daughter from these foreign hands.

They'd protected her and nursed him when they could have left them both to die. Or left him at least. They all seemed to realize this at the same time and an uncomfortable silence fell.

"I've always liked Yanchen?" Aang offered finally. "Or Meirin?"

Sokka wrinkled his nose. "Nah, she needs a warrior's name! What about Ankara or Toron?"

"Oh and get made fun of her whole life?" Toph chimed in. "Toron rhymes with Moron-"

"It does _not_ -!"

"And we're not calling her that!" Toph put her feet down and shifted one forward enough that a column of rock formed and shot up into Sokka's backside. She ignored his howling and said, "What about Hikari or Satsuna?"

Katara rolled her eyes. "Those are obviously Earth Kingdom names!"

"She's _obviously_ an Earth Kingdom pup!" Aang defended. His words caught up to them all and they all looked away again.

Zuko looked down at his daughter's face. Open and trusting, knowing nothing of life yet but love and softness. He couldn't bear to shackle her with his own mother's name, her sorrows. But perhaps… Perhaps she could still be a legacy of love.

Zuko cleared his throat. "What… What were your mothers' names?"

Katara blinked. "My mother was called Kya."

"Poppy," Toph said softly. She was pretending to look at her nails.

Aang just shrugged. "I didn't know my mother or my father. The monks raised us all in groups." He leaned back on his hands and thought. "There was a nun who baked the best cloud cakes though! Her name was Hyacinth."

Zuko turned to Sokka. "And you? Kya as well?"

"Uh, no. No, my mother is Bato. My father… In the Tribe, it's common for a family to have three parents. An Alpha and two Omegas or two Betas." Sokka shrugged. "My dad got lucky and bagged one of each."

Zuko hummed quietly, watching her little eyes open and shut, her little lashes lying soft on her cheeks. She was so soft, like the petals of his mother's flowers. "I've always liked peonies."

"Peony," Aang repeated, peering over the blankets. "Fortune and grace. A good omen."

"Yeah," Zuko agreed softly. "Let's hope."


	2. life goes on

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't get used to the updates coming this quick otherwise my muse will get scared away lol
> 
> Notes on Omega biology at the end and a quick trigger warning just in case but discussion in a character's mind about another character's weight and body build.

Sokka had had no idea how much he took sleep for granted before Peony. Not that Zuko asked them to wake up with her in the night but her small plaintive cries woke them all up, instincts hard wired to obey.

Sokka sagged into Katara's side, blinking slowly. "When is she gonna start sleeping through the night?" He poked at the embers with a stick and tried to summon up the will to start breakfast.

Katara shrugged. "Once she feels comfortable and stops being hungry every few hours." She elbowed him in the side sharply, filling the pot for rice congee. "Besides _Zuko_ is the one having to actually get up and do everything. We're just annoyed, he's exhausted."

"Never thought I'd hear you defending him," Sokka said, but his voice was mild. Whatever wrong Zuko had done, whatever hurts he had caused, they could be dealt with later if at all. For now the pup's survival trumped everything.

They were interrupted by the door to Zuko's room creaking open. The Omega stepped out slowly, moving in that careful way all hurting people did, Peony swaddled to his chest in a length of cloth.

Zuko ignored them for the moment, tipping his face up to the sun. He was still pale, a dark circle under his good eye, but the sun seemed to revive him. He smiled, just a small wilted thing, and carefully showed Peony's face to the sky.

"What's he-" But then Sokka realized he knew what Zuko was doing. It hit him like a slap in the face. Katara made a soft sound next to him and Sokka knew she understood too.

In the Tribe, pups were presented to Tui and La on their first full moon of life. They would be taken to the hut of the wise women and bathed in ocean water while the moon shone down on them. It was a ritual to honor the spirits and to ask for blessing on the pup.

So this must have been… 

"I didn't know the Fire Nation presented their pups to the spirits too," Sokka said softly. He watched Zuko cover Peony's face again, bow as best he could to the rising sun, and turn to face them.

Whatever Katara wanted to say was lost in the excited whoosh of Aang whipping past. He landed in front of Zuko, already grinning and talking a mile a minute. Aang had decided within a few days that Zuko coming to them obviously made him pack and that Peony was not only adorable but the most wonderful thing since blubbered seal jerky.

Zuko seemed a little off kilter but Sokka sensed it was more awkwardness than any lingering hostility. The Omega always smelled… shy around them all. Unsure of his welcome. Which was ridiculous.

Sokka was pack Alpha after all and he had no intention of sending either of them back to the same people who had forced an Omega to give birth alone, fight his way through no man's land, then give himself up to the mercy of his _former enemies_ to survive. No, for better or worse, they were Sokka's now.

Aang pulled Zuko and Peony over to the fire, one hand tangled with the Omega's. Aang sat Zuko down next to Sokka, still chattering - something about an echo chamber? - and held out his hands expectantly.

Zuko snorted softly and raised an eyebrow until Aang sat still. Then and only then did he carefully pass Peony into Aang's arms.

It was a familiar ritual by now. The pack taking turns eating and holding the pup, bonding with her and her mother. Zuko had even - tentatively - started letting Katara and the Betas scent him and scenting them in return.

He hadn't tried to scent Sokka nor had Sokka tried to scent him. They weren't there yet and Sokka wondered, not for the first time, exactly how Peony had come to be. If Zuko had maybe been hurt by Alphas one too many times to ever trust another completely.

"Sokka?"

He blinked and Katara was offering him Peony. Sokka held out his arms immediately with a smile and cradled her to his chest. Feelings and instincts about Zuko were complicated. Feelings and instincts about Peony were blessedly simple.

_Hold the pup, warm the pup, provide for and protect the pup..._

Sokka was man enough to admit he was smitten, wrapped around Peony's tiny little finger. He grinned down at her, happy to see her hazel eyes open and curious as they studied him solemnly.

"Good morning, my little polar pup," he cooed quietly. Not quietly enough if Toph's snort said anything. (But like she could talk. She called Peony a _badger mole_ as if that was any better.)

Peony gurgled, a bubble of spit on her mouth. Sokka took that to mean good morning and kept up his cooing. He had always loved babies and had never really gotten enough of them growing up.

Zuko cleared his throat, swallowing a little. "Would… Is there any place I could take a real bath?" He grimaced a little. "I'd just really like to be able to wash my hair and soak off the grime."

Katara looked at Sokka who shrugged. "There's a cavern deeper under the temple, it's warm and there's a shaft that lets in the sunlight. I can watch Peony if you want to go after breakfast." Her smile turned impish. "Sokka can take you, he needs a bath too."

Sokka glared at her. This was Kyoshi Island all over again. Katara pushing Sokka into attractive Omegas, trying to meddle, and Sokka having to deal with the consequences. He opened his mouth to tell her no when-

"I'd like that." Zuko wasn't looking at any of them, staring at his rice porridge like it was the most interesting thing he'd ever seen. The tip of his good ear was pink as well as the tops of his cheekbones.

Sokka pushed down the instinctive urge to growl - low and pleased - and just nodded. He let Toph take Peony into her scrawny arms and ate his congee quickly. After, Sokka stood up and gestured for Zuko to follow him.

"Ah, just a second," Zuko said, glancing back at his room. "I need a few… things." He hurried off while Sokka bent to gather his own soap and brush. He could feel Katara standing at his elbow and glanced up.

"Yes?"

"You could act like you don't hate every second you spend with him, you know." Katara's face was pinched. Sokka scoffed, unable to believe her hypocrisy. "I know, I know. But… He's been through a lot. Just. Be careful with him. He's in a vulnerable place right now."

"I'd never try to take advantage of him," Sokka growled. His jaw ached from clenching it at the very idea. "He's mine, Katara. My pack."

A glint in his sister's eyes said that he'd said _something_ right at least. "Good. Keep that promise."

"Sorry that took so long." Zuko bit his lip, arms full of clothes and a long roll of cloth, a comb and a cake of soap balanced on top. Sokka didn't think twice, taking all but the soap from Zuko's grip. "I can-"

"You had a pup less than two weeks ago," Sokka said lowly, gently. "It's my job to take care of you. That's what pack does."

Zuko laughed, a haunted husk of a sound, and followed Sokka. "I've never even seen a pack before."

"Your family?" Sokka didn't know why he even bothered to ask. He'd met Azula, the most noxious smelling Beta he'd ever come across, and Zuko's father had continued a hundred year genocide just to prove how big his knot was. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have-"

"My mother… was my pack. And she left." Zuko looked at him, eyes a little shiny. "Then my uncle and-" His face hardened. "For a while I thought Peony's father would be but… I know now how stupid that was."

"It's not stupid to hope that the person you put your trust in will be worthy of it," Sokka said. Those were Bato's words, his mother's wisdom parroted back automatically. "Alphas have a sacred duty to protect and care for Omegas, theirs or otherwise. Whoever they were, they didn't deserve you if they couldn't remember that."

Zuko was looking at him, straight on for once, and Sokka could see not just how exhausted he was now but how exhausted Zuko had always been. Sokka stopped them with a gentle hand on his elbow.

"None of them," Sokka said, slow and firm, looking into Zuko's eyes, "ever deserved you. Do you understand that? We're not going to let them touch you again. You're ours now, our pack, and I swear as pack Alpha that I'd die first."

Zuko's eyes widened then darted away. He seemed like he was about to say something but he closed his mouth and nodded. Sokka let him go and they were silent for the last few minutes to the baths.

The room was expansive, carved out of the rock itself and warmed by thermal vents. The air inside was balmy but there was enough of a breeze from the sky light to make it tolerable. Sokka set their things down on a low shelf and started undressing.

He was down to his skin when a small noise made him turn. Zuko was still fully clothed and he was staring. Sokka blinked and looked himself over, checking to make sure no one had drawn on him or anything while he was asleep. For a blind girl, Toph was surprisingly good at drawing dicks.

"What is it?" Sokka asked finally, not seeing anything.

"Huh? Oh!" Zuko shook his head and turned away. "Nothing, it's fine, I was just thinking." The scent of ginger sharpened and ripened into something sweeter in the air between them.

_Thinking indeed…_

Sokka hid a smile and slipped into the water, wanting to give Zuko his privacy. He was attractive, Sokka knew, had turned plenty of heads as they travelled. It wasn't unusual for an Omega to get caught thinking about him like that.

It was flattering, really.

Sokka glanced back at Zuko and stopped, something cold and unpleasant coiling in his belly. The Omega was humming to himself, setting aside dirty things from clean, but what had happened to him in his life?

His hips should have been curving and lush, enticing and- And his thighs should have been- Sokka whined low in his throat, startling Zuko into turning.

The only spare fat on his frame came from the slight pouch at his belly where Peony had been carried. His breasts that should have been full and swollen were only the size of a non nursing Omega's. He was thin, sticklike and half starved.

He must have been whining or growling or something, some sound that showed his distress, because the next thing Sokka knew his nose was filled with the smell of ginger and citrus, sweet and soothing. He clung to the wrist at his nose, burying his face into the smooth skin as much as he could.

Gentle fingers combed through his hair and a low voice whispered to him, words lost in the fog of sorrow. Sokka had failed this Omega, his pack. How had he not seen? How had he not noticed in all this time, all those chases and taunts?

"I'm sorry," he choked out finally. Zuko's fingers stilled then started again. "I'm sorry for not helping you sooner. For not getting you away from-"

"I wouldn't have let you," Zuko said softly. He was sitting on the edge of the bath and encouraged Sokka closer, guiding the Alpha's head to rest at his hip. "Even if you'd wanted to, I was too scared. Too angry. I've been alone almost my whole life, I wouldn't have trusted you."

"I still should have-"

"Sokka." Zuko's voice was firm. "You might be an Alpha but you're still just as young as I am. You weren't responsible for me then, I was your enemy. The past is the past, don't let it consume you."

They were silent for a few seconds until Zuko asked, softly, "What is it that upset you so much? That you blame my family for?"

Sokka took a deep breath and rubbed his cheek against Zuko's side. "You're so small. Omegas aren't supposed to look like you do." Sokka traced the visible line of a rib, ignoring how Zuko shivered. "You should be soft and filled out, still round from Peony."

"I had to be careful, Sokka. I couldn't look pregnant or my- the Fire Lord would have killed us. The only Omega worth anything in the Fire Nation is a virgin one and I had to play the part." Zuko shuddered. "I ate enough for her to survive and even then it was barely enough. But I'd do it all again. Anything for her to live."

There was an Omega's ferocity in those words, a wealth of love and sacrifice that was as natural as breathing. Sokka smiled a little and nodded, pulling back.

He reached his own wrist up in offer and smiled wider as Zuko took it almost shyly and rubbed it against his cheek. The smell of wood smoke and clean ice settled over them, mixing with Zuko's own softer scent. Sokka had to admit, they did smell good together.

"I've kept you from your bath long enough," he said, taking his arm back reluctantly. Zuko shrugged with a small smile and slipped down into the water. He let out a rusty purr at the feel of it and Sokka moved back to let him have his privacy.

Sokka washed his hair and his skin, enjoying the feel of the water lapping at his waist. He turned a little at the sound of splashing and saw Zuko washing out his hair. Apparently what Sokka had assumed was a short messy cut had actually been a curtain of black silk tangled with sweat and the spirits knew what else.

Sokka shivered, want curling low in his belly and growling. Zuko was… Lovely. Sokka realized, turning away before his scent or his staring gave him away. Even half starved and filthy, he'd been beautiful. Sokka shuddered to think what a vision he'd be once they'd fed him up a bit.

This was bad. This was so bad. Sokka couldn't have these thoughts, not about Zuko. Zuko had been betrayed by every Alpha in his life and Sokka was not going to add himself to that list by lusting after him while he was vulnerable.

No, Sokka would just ignore it. Things would calm down as soon as they all got used to each other then Sokka would be fine. He just had to survive until then.

He snuck a peek and nearly moaned. Zuko had hauled himself out of the water and was sunning on a rock, his hair curled becomingly around him. He almost glowed in the sun.

Sokka smacked his head into a rock.

_Spirits, I'm fucked._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We haven't talked much about Omega biology and Sokka is too polite to do it for us so I guess it's up to me.
> 
> Omega females are built as the typical AFAB person is, vagina and breasts. Omega males also have a vagina but they also have psuedo cocks where a clitoris would be. Omegas of both sexes have breasts with Omega males tending to be smaller unless they're nursing.
> 
> Omegas come in all body types but one characteristic that stays the same is that they usually carry a bit more body fat on them than most people. They thicc, y'all! With the Water Tribe's being the thickest because cold and stuff.
> 
> So Zuko's appearance is a huge shock to Sokka and obviously leaves him upset.
> 
> As always thanks for reading and feedback is loved and encouraged!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is kind of a short one gang because the next two are going to be massive! Notes at the end on behavior and languages!

Things, shockingly, did not get easier for Sokka. As much as he wanted to pretend that nothing had changed in how he felt about Zuko, Sokka couldn't really hide it.

At least not from anyone who wasn't Zuko. 

The Omega was oblivious, focused entirely on Peony and her needs. Which was what Sokka wanted - really - and honestly only served to make his feelings about Zuko even more confusing.

"You like him," Katara said one night while she and Sokka did dishes, Sokka's gaze drifting across the fire more than once to where Zuko sat with Peony in his arms. It happened over and over, both matter what Sokka did. "He's a good mother and it's making you think about mating and having pups and-"

"I am not thinking about any of that!" Sokka snapped. He _wasn't_ , really he wasn't. There was a war going on and Sokka wasn't cruel enough to even think about taking a mate and bringing pups into it. "There's a war happening, Katara. In case you've forgotten."

Katara growled, elbowing him hard in the side. "I'm talking about _after_! After the war, you could have that."

Sokka just shook his head. "No."

"Sokka-"

"I said no, Katara. I'm not- I don't think that's in the cards for me."

She was quiet when she spoke again, her voice hushed. "Why not?"

Sokka sighed, turning away from his sister. She didn't understand - _couldn't understand_. She wasn't an Alpha, wasn't born to take responsibility for others the way Sokka was.

This war was brutal. So many innocent lives had been shattered and so many more would be before it was over. And Sokka would pay in blood to make sure that none of those lives were theirs. Not Aang, not Toph, not Katara. Not even Zuko.

_Especially not Zuko…_

Sokka didn't know how to tell his baby sister that he didn't expect to see the end of this war alive.

Warmth seeped into Sokka's side as the smell of ginger perfumed the air. Sokka turned his head, almost without thinking, and pressed his nose into Zuko's hair. "You ok?"

Zuko nodded. He trailed his fingers over Peony's forehead, rubbed the little wrinkle that formed there when she slept. "But you're not."

Sokka snorted. "I'm fine." He nudged Zuko gently away from his shoulder and sat back. "Just thinking."

"Thinking doesn't make you smell like sorrow." Zuko sat back as well, close enough to touch if Sokka wanted to. That was just Zuko's nature. Always leaving the choice up to them.

Sokka raised an eyebrow, leaning over to breathe in Peony's clean smell. "Since when do you pay that much attention to what I smell like?"

Zuko elbowed him in the side and Sokka was secretly delighted. Even a week ago, Zuko wouldn't have dared such a thing. Sokka retaliated by pinching his hip and Zuko squirmed.

Their jostling woke Peony who gave a plaintive wail. Zuko shushed her softly, drawing her out of her sling as he loosened his shirt. "Do you mind-"

"Not at all."

Zuko smiled a little as he tucked the pup to his breast. She latched on and suckled greedily while Zuko stroked her cheek. "I keep waiting to wake up," he said, so quietly that Sokka almost missed it. "And she's all a dream, _you're_ all a dream, and I'm still there in that place."

Sokka growled lowly and tucked himself firmly against Zuko's back. "They'll never touch you again. You'll never go back there-"

"Shh," Zuko said quietly, turning his head to nuzzle Sokka's cheek. "I know. I know you'll protect us."

They were much too close, the smell of Zuko and Peony flooding Sokka's senses. He could pick apart every single note of them. See every single color in Zuko's eyes. He wanted to growl, low and pleased, the Alpha in him soothed by the presence of his Omega and his p-

Sokka jerked away like he'd been burned, rushing to his feet and turning away. He pretended he couldn't hear Zuko calling his name and he ran.

No. No, he couldn't do this. He couldn't _have_ this - _have them_. Zuko wasn't his. Peony wasn't his. And they never could be.

Leaving aside bad blood between their nations, Zuko was first in line for the throne. He was royalty, son of kings and destined to rule over thousands, and Sokka… Sokka was the son of a chief, first in line to rule over a village of twenty people.

Their lives were not compatible. Their _selves_ were not compatible.

 _What does that mean?_ Sokka could hear his mother's voice in his head, Bato's steady cadence warm and soothing. _Sokka, you can't draw lines in your heart. Love is not a creature of logic._

"I can't have him," Sokka whispered into the night. He closed his eyes, pretended the wind whispering through his hair was his mother's calloused fingers. " _Anaana_ , please."

There were no more words, no more pretending. Sokka leaned his head into the rough stone of the cliff side and tried not to cry.

💮💮💮

"You can't blame yourself." Aang sat down in the space Sokka left behind. Zuko startled a little, Peony whining as her feeding was disrupted. He shushed her reflexively and glanced at the Avatar.

"What do you mean?" Zuko swallowed hard. Blame himself for what? Sokka pulling away from him like he'd been burned? For Sokka running away from him? From _them_?

Gods. Why was Zuko so stupid? Throwing himself recklessly at Alphas who paid him the slightest attention was what had gotten him into this situation to begin with! 

Not that Zuko would trade his pup for the world. No. He'd loved Peony fiercely from the moment he'd realized she was growing inside of him.

But that didn't mean that he needed to… to throw himself at Sokka like a whore. Why would Sokka want a tainted, used Omega anyway? Zuko wasn't beautiful any longer, his body was changed from carrying Peony. He was nothing like the willowy untouched Omegas that graced the courts of his home.

Aang nudged their shoulders gently. "Are you listening?" There was no reproach in his voice. Just a sort of sadness.

Zuko shook his head. "I'm sorry." He shifted Peony to his shoulder, patting her back as he fumbled to cover himself. Being exposed in front of Sokka had felt natural, like it was meant to be so. Being exposed in front of Aang felt… less like that.

"I said that you can't blame yourself for Sokka. He's…" Aang trailed off, obviously thinking his words over. "Sokka is different. He feels responsible for us all as our Alpha and the pressure on his shoulders is insane. Not only is he worried about keeping us all safe, he's worried about everyone we lost in the invasion."

Zuko sat up a little straighter. "Lost? Like prisoners?"

Aang nodded slowly. "Prisoners. The dead. Mostly the prisoners I think. His mother and father were taken."

Zuko hummed thoughtfully. "They're important… In his tribe?"

Aang nodded. "The chief and his second."

Zuko suddenly knew what he could do. How he could help ease Sokka's burdens. He handed Peony to Aang gently, bending to kiss her brow. "Can you put her down for me? I need to talk to Sokka."

Aang raised an eyebrow but the Beta said nothing else, just carrying Peony carefully to the room she and Zuko had been staying in.

Zuko watched them go, aching inside as he watched his pup get further and further away from him. _Be calm_ , he told himself. _If this works, you'll be even farther from her soon._

Eventually, Zuko forced his feet to move as he picked his way through the temple to Sokka. The Alpha was easy to find, the scent of his distress thick like oil on the water.

"I know where they've taken your parents," Zuko said softly. He swallowed hard and ignored how his heart squeezed at the hope on Sokka's face. "Or at least your father. There's a prison. Called the Boiling Rock. It's where the Fire Lord sends his enemies."

Sokka stepped closer, his eyes shining. His hands fell to Zuko's shoulders, kneading gently. He growled, a low soothing sound, probably confused by the panicked spike in Zuko's scent.

"Sokka," Zuko gasped, suddenly wishing he'd never spoken at all. "Sokka, I'm telling you because you need to know, not because- Sokka, please, you can't go. Promise me."

Sokka shushed him, hands coming up to cradle Zuko's face. He leaned in close, closer than they'd probably ever been even with these last few weeks… Sokka bumped their foreheads together, pressed them so close. "Tell me."

"Sokka-"

"Zuko, please. It's for my honor."

Zuko swallowed down a whine and closed his eyes. Honor. That fucking word again. Sokka didn't play fair, touching him like this and saying those words. "I-- I'll tell you on one condition. You're taking me with you."

Sokka reared back. "No." Panic sharpened his scent. "No!"

"Yes!" Zuko hissed, gripping Sokka's wrists. "You need me. You don't know what you're doing, I do. You don't know the language or the culture, you'd be found out in a second." He softened his voice, his posture. "Please, Alpha. Let me help you."

Sokka shuddered, eyes squeezed shut. He huffed and brushed their noses together, swaying into Zuko's space. "You don't play fair, do you?"

"Says the tea pot to the kettle."

Sokka's lips quirked into a smile. "Alright, Zuko. Tell me everything."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, the Boiling Rock, the Zukka shippers' holy text. I can't wait to get there.
> 
> Sokka and Zuko are getting closer and closer! Maybe some day I'll let them kiss. A little. As a treat.
> 
> A note on languages. I've chosen Inuktut for the Water Tribe and I'm relying on the Canadian Inuktut database for my translations so if any native speakers wanna help me out, please feel free.
> 
> As for the Fire Nation, well, in the show they're a mashup of Japanese and Chinese culture. However, both of those languages are notoriously difficult to anglicize so I will be taking suggestions as to either resources or alternatives. At the moment, I'm looking at Korean...
> 
> Please feel free to leave me feedback here or at my tumblr lity-bity-tity!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so Boiling Rock is going to be even bigger than I thought it would be so I'm breaking it up into as many parts as it wants to be - I'm thinking at least four at this point.
> 
> Also, as I'm sure you've all noticed, I'm playing fast and loose with the timeline and skipping around with the episode order because frankly this story is going to take longer than like two weeks to tell and canon is my bitch.

Sokka couldn't believe he'd let Zuko talk him into this. The two of them were tucked into a stolen war balloon, drifting towards the most horrible place in the Fire Nation on a suicide mission, and Sokka had _let Zuko come with him_.

 _What kind of Alpha are you…_ he thought bitterly, watching the clouds drift over the moon's white face. _Oh, Yue, what have I done?_

She was silent as always but Sokka almost thought he saw her light brighten as they flew. Zuko shot another blast of fire at the balloon's engine and sat down gingerly.

"You're in pain." It wasn't a question. Sokka's hands itched to pat him down, to find the injury and soothe it. He kept himself on his side of the balloon through sheer force of will.

Zuko looked up at him from under his lashes. "It's nothing. I feel better than I've felt in weeks." His cheeks flushed a little. "At least the bleeding has mostly stopped."

Sokka nodded. He hadn't smelled blood as strongly on Zuko the last few days. "I shouldn't have brought you here--"

"Not this again," Zuko groaned. He let his head loll back against the side of the basket. "Sokka. I was never letting you go alone. If you'd tried, I would have just followed on foot."

"Stubborn fool."

Zuko smiled, a crooked little thing as delicate as a bird's wing. "You know that better than anyone. I don't give up. Ever."

"I should have tried harder," Sokka said softly. "Peony needs you."

Zuko's eyes squeezed shut. "She does… But you need me too." He swallowed hard and drew his knees up to his chest. "I hate leaving her, I do. But I trust Katara and the others to take care of her until you make it back."

" _We_." Sokka shivered, his heart sinking. "Until we make it back."

Zuko's smile was so small, so sad. It didn't reach his eyes. "Right. We." He glanced to the side and up, the moonlight turning his face silvery white. Sokka felt his heart beating against his chest, fit to burst, and he had to close his eyes.

"I wish-"

"Sokka," Zuko said. "You need me. I hate leaving my pup but I think I'd hate leaving you just as much."

Sokka huffed and scooted a little closer, noting the small shivers the Omega kept having. "Are you cold?"

Zuko flushed. "A bit. I- My bending isn't quite… recovered. Normally I can just regulate my temperature with it but pregnancy dampens the abilities of fire benders. Otherwise we might accidentally trigger a miscarriage."

Sokka tilted his head, considering. He hadn't ever thought about what would happen when fire benders fell pregnant. Or any benders really. Katara was far too young to even think about pups so he'd just pushed it aside.

 _Zuko was too young as well…_ a small voice whispered as he watched Zuko's thin body shake.

Sokka scooted even closer, wrapping his arm around Zuko's shoulders. He guided the Omega to rest against his chest, trying to will warmth into him. He ignored the spike in Zuko's scent and grumbled quietly.

Slowly, softly, a hand slipped over Sokka's wrist and pulled his arm tighter around Zuko. Sokka wondered if he was imagining the feeling of lips brushing across his pulse, wondered if someone had bent the air from his lungs as breathing suddenly seemed impossible.

"Alpha," Zuko whispered, quietly, reverently, as if the word was a prayer. He tucked it into the curve of Sokka's jaw, hidden by the sweet fall of his own hair. Sokka swallowed hard, felt that word settle on his heart like a brand.

"Omega," he whispered back, equally reverent and careful. Zuko's breathing hitched and Sokka wanted suddenly, desperately, to tip his face up, kiss those beautiful lips.

 _Not yet,_ he thought. _Not like this. Not when we're both frightened and we might die. Not unless I know he's sure._

Sokka pulled Zuko closer, curled him under his chin and held on tight. "Sleep," he murmured into Zuko's hair, stroking his arm with tentative fingers. "I'll keep watch."

💮💮💮

Crashing a balloon into a lake of boiling water wasn't on Sokka's list of things he ever wanted to do again. He had wrapped around Zuko, launched them both out of the basket and onto the rocky shore. He'd had to grit his teeth against the pain of gravel embedding into his flesh and concentrated on keeping Zuko tucked against him.

"Are. Are you alright?" Sokka gasped as they finally - blessedly - came to a stop. Zuko pushed himself up over him, his face pale.

"Sokka…" Gentle fingers carded through his hair, the strands having ripped loose from his wolf tail. Zuko whined softly and Sokka realized that there was blood dripping into his eyes.

"Shh," Sokka whispered. He tried to lift his arms but his muscles screamed at him to stop. He settled for nuzzling Zuko's wrist, dragging his lips over the soft skin and hammering pulse. "Shhh, _annukkuluk_ , calm dow-"

Zuko bent over him, tucking his head under Sokka's chin while his fingers clenched Sokka's shirt. "Don't ever do that again," he whimpered. He was clinging to Sokka so tight that his knuckles were white. "Don't-- I can't _take it_!"

"Can't let you get hurt," Sokka murmured. He swallowed hard, forcing his screaming muscles to let him move, to take Zuko in his arms. He squeezed him close.

Zuko pushed away from him, his eyes wide and wet. "Why?" His voice was ragged. "Why do you even care?"

Sokka didn't know what he would have said but it didn't matter. The sound of muffled voices pushed them both to their feet and deeper into the shadow of the prison.

Sokka told himself that it was the fear of getting caught curdling in his stomach and not the pang of missed opportunity.

💮💮💮

It took exactly two days of undercover work for Sokka to decide that the Fire Nation was wolfbat-shit insane. Their soldiers fought and drank and brawled in the guards' quarters, Alpha and Beta alike, with the sort of aggression Sokka would have expected to see in pups half their age.

"Why are they acting like this?" Sokka whispered to Zuko as they watched yet another Alpha launch herself across the table. He flinched closer and had to fight the urge to bundle Zuko against him.

Zuko picked at his food, eyes down. Sokka was, briefly, thankful for the suppressant spray they'd found in the storeroom and soaked Zuko in. Spirits only knew what all these monsters would do if they knew an Omega was among them…

"In the Fire Nation," Zuko said finally. "Alphas are encouraged to let their instincts run wild. The Betas are just trying to keep up."

Sokka growled as a flailing fist passed too close to their table. "They're acting like animals."

Zuko's smile under the helmet was haunted. "They _are_ animals."

Sokka was stung despite himself. "Not all Alphas are like that."

"No. I know you're not." Zuko hunched his shoulders as a crash sounded nearby. "But these people? They're drunk on power and pheromones. Sokka, you have to keep your head down here."

Sokka nodded. He'd already seen a few of the more violent Alphas sizing him up. It was only a matter of time before one of them attacked but Sokka wouldn't be the one to start it. He could do that for Zuko at least.

💮💮💮

Finding Suki put a...small kink in their plans. If only for how it made Zuko pull away from him.

Sokka had managed to convince Zuko to guard his back while he'd slipped in to talk to her but then…

Sokka had been forced to arrest him, to twist Zuko's arms and shove him into a cell even as his own heart broke to do it and everything in him screamed to push these other unworthy hands off of his Omega.

It took nearly two days to be able to slip into Zuko's cell. And the Omega came up swinging.

"Whoa!" Sokka hissed, wrapping his arms around Zuko's and pinning him still. "It's me, _annukkuluk_ , it's your- It's Sokka."

Zuko sagged in his grip with a whimper, letting Sokka take his weight. Spirits, he'd gotten even smaller in here… Sokka loosened his grip and turned Zuko in his arms.

"Shh," he whispered, pressing his lips to the side of Zuko's head. He breathed in deep, looking for a single trace of Zuko's scent under the suppressant. There was nothing, just a void. "Shh, I'm here with you."

"I keep waiting for- for someone to come and-" Zuko broke off, swallowing hard. He was shaking, trembling so badly that Sokka was afraid he'd just shake apart. "They're going to examine me soon. They'll find out I'm an Omega and- and if I'm lucky, they'll send me back to my father before too many of the guards can rape me."

Something in Sokka snapped and the Alpha in him roared in fury. He tightened his grip on Zuko until the Omega whimpered and still he couldn't make himself let go.

" _Never_. They'll never touch you, I'd never allow it." Sokka growled, gritting his teeth until he could taste blood and his jaw ached. "I'd kill them all first. Then I'd burn this place to the ground for you."

Zuko tilted his head, looked up at Sokka and whispered, "What else would you do for me?" His hands crept up the front of Sokka's borrowed uniform and clenched in the fabric.

"Anything." The answer was automatic, instinctive as breathing. Zuko could order Sokka to quit breathing, pull the sky down, blow the stars out, and he would do it. Gladly.

"I want to go home…" Zuko's voice was heartbreakingly small. Sokka's heart sank. "I want to go home to Peony and the temple, to our friends. I want to go home with you."

Sokka whined. " _Spirits_ , Zuko. You're making this really hard for me."

"I'm sorry." Zuko moved like he was going to pull away and Sokka… Sokka couldn't let him. He trailed one hand up to cup Zuko's cheek and pressed their foreheads together.

"I don't want to hurt you," he murmured. He could feel Zuko's breathing, felt the catch in it at his words. "You've been through so much, been hurt by so many Alphas-"

"You're nothing like them!" Zuko put his arms around Sokka's neck, went up on his toes to push their faces even closer. "Sokka, you're honorable and good and you- you-"

Zuko gave up on words.

Sokka made a small shocked noise as Zuko's lips met his, the Omega's fingers slipping into his hair and pulling just slightly. His own hands cradled Zuko's jaw, feeling the flush under his fingers as Zuko blushed.

Sokka pulled back. "Are you sure-"

" _Yes_!" Zuko gasped, pulling Sokka back in and Sokka was helpless to stop it.

They kissed and kissed and kissed until Sokka's lips went numb and his hands were shaking. And still Zuko kept him close, running hands over his shoulders and whispering under his breath.

Sokka knew he should go, should get back to his post. But he couldn't move. They could have stood there until the comet came and the world ended and Sokka would have died there gladly in Zuko's arms.

 _You're so gone_ , he thought to himself, giddily, happily.

Yeah. He was. And Sokka wouldn't change it for the world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
> 
> Enjoy your treat my babies!

**Author's Note:**

> As you may have noticed, in this universe mother is more of a... gender neutral term. Of course some male Omega don't use it but the majority do.
> 
> Also polyamory is quite common in this world, with family units coming together to raise the pups.
> 
> As for the name, well, I just like peonies!
> 
> Feedback can be left here or at lity-bity-tity on tumblr.


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